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How Prosperity Can Slide You Into Spiritual Apathy · ToddTalks--Spirit By Design: Your Weekly Survival Guide

• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to Todd Talks Spirit by Design.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're gonna do a little more talking, a little more discussion.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, really it's me talking, and that's okay.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because I enjoy these things.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: I enjoy sharing the things I learn, I enjoy sharing the things that I am passionate about, which is to help you make your life better, especially your spiritual life.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: So today we're talking about a danger that doesn't usually announce itself, it sneaks in.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't arrive with rebellion, it doesn't come through dramatic sin.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't begin with somebody openly rejecting God.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, it often starts with comfort.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Comfort.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe a little less prayer, a little less scripture study, a little less urgency, a little less desire, until eventually what was once a strong, vibrant testimony becomes spiritual apathy.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: The reality, which is kind of frightening, is that Satan rarely needs to destroy a disciple if he can simply distract them.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: That has happened to a lot of people.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: He doesn't need you to become wicked.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: He just needs you to become so comfortable that you stop doing the things that you should.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: The Book of Mormon repeatedly warns us that prosperity, ease, and comfort often precede spiritual decline.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I there was an episode a while back where I quoted the phrase that I picked up from Pinterest actually.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: It was that hard times create strong men.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Strong men create good times.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Throughout history, God's people have rarely fallen when they were struggling.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: They typically fell when they were comfortable.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: The good times.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're going to explore why comfort can become spiritually dangerous, how apathy slowly develops, scriptural examples of people who become became spiritually complacent, signs that spiritual apathy may be creeping into our lives, and how to rekindle spiritual fire and become fully engaged disciples of Christ.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: So Satan's favorite battlefield is often just comfort.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: Many people think Satan works primarily through temptation, and he certainly does.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: He's very good at it.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Nephi warmed others, he will pacify and lull them away into carnal security.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: That is one of his most effective strategies.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: Notice the language.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Not attack, not destroy, pacify, lull.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like putting someone to sleep.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Because that's what he's doing.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: He's putting your spiritual mind to sleep.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: The adversary understands that sleeping soldiers are easier to defeat than fighting ones.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: President Ezrataff Benson taught pride is concerned with who is right rather than what is right.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Often, comfort produces self-sufficiency, and self-sufficiency produces spiritual blindness.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: The moment we stop feeling our dependence upon God is the moment we become vulnerable.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Let's face the fact, we are dependent on God.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: He's our creator, he's our father, and we depend upon his largues to survive.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: There is a pattern in the Book of Mormon, the pride cycle, I like to call it, but it's consistent.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: One of the great recurring themes is the pride cycle.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: The pattern is people are humble, they turn to God.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: God blesses them, they prosper, they become comfortable, they forget God, they suffer, and the cycle repeats.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: Heliman describes this phenomenon perfectly.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: In Helaman 12, 2, he says, Yea, and we see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, then is the time that they do harden their hearts and do forget the Lord their God.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: Notice that Mormon doesn't say adversity causes people to forget God.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: He says prosperity often does.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: Why?
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: Because prosperity creates the illusion that we no longer need him.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Look at the biggest, richest cities in the world.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: They're all starting to crumble.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: Because they've forgotten God.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: They're no longer humble.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: They think they are powers of the people there think they are powers unto themselves.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: When life becomes easy, dependence often fades.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: When dependence fades, faith begins to weaken.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: One of the greatest examples in scripture comes from King David.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: David was courageous.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: He defeated Goliath.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: He trusted God.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: He led Israel.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yet one verse reveals the beginning of his downfall.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Samuel 11, 2 Samuel 11:1 says, At the time when kings go forth to battle, David stayed home.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: While others fought, David relaxed.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: While others served, David rested.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: While others sacrificed, David became comfortable.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: And it was that place of comfort that temptation entered.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: One poor decision became another.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: The man after God's own heart fell because his vigilance disappeared.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: The lesson is profound.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: Spiritual decline rarely starts with major sin.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: It often begins when we stop engaging in righteous action.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: David fell because of prosperity.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: One of the most sobering warnings in Scripture comes from the book of Revelation.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: Christ addressed the saints in Laodicea.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: In Revelation 3.16, it says, Because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Notice that Christ wasn't condemning outright rebellion.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: He was condemning indifference, lukewarm discipleship, half-hearted commitment, going through motions without passion, attending church without engagement, praying without connection, serving without love, knowing truth without living it.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: The Savior would rather have a disciple on fire with faith than one drifting through life spiritually numb.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we used to call that having one foot on either side of the fence, fence stradders.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember recently there have been several talks in recent conferences where they have actually said there is no more sitting on the fence.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: The world is getting too wicked, and the divide between the saints and the world is getting too vast.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: So people cannot sit on the fence anymore.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: There are signs that spiritual apathy may be developing.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: It rarely arrives overnight.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: It grows slowly, almost invisibly.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: Consider these warning signs.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Prayer becomes routine.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: You still pray, but you stop expecting answers.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: You stop wrestling with God.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: You stop pouring out your soul.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: Prayer becomes a checklist instead of a relationship.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: Your scripture study becomes casual.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: You read, but you don't search.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: You skim rather than feast.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: The scripture stops speaking because you're no longer listening.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: Spiritual promptings are ignored.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: I just did an episode all about this.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: The spirit whispers, you delay, the prompting comes again, you postpone.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Eventually the prompting becomes harder to hear.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: President Henry B.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: Iring taught when we do when we reject the spirit, we become less able to hear him.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: Service feels optional.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: You begin asking, what do I have to do?
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: instead of what can I do?
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: Discipleship shifts from consecration to convenience.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: Then sin stops bothering you.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: This may be the most dangerous sign of all.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: Not that you commit greater sins, but that smaller compromises no longer trouble your conscience.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: The spiritual alarm system grows quiet.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: You've probably heard the analogy of boiling the frog.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: If you drop a frog into boiling water, he immediately will jump out.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: But if the temperature rises gradually, it won't recognize the danger and it will get boiled alive.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: Whether scientifically accurate or not, spiritually, the principle is true.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: Rarely do people wake up one day and abandon their faith.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, missed prayer, missed scripture study, missed prompting, missed opportunity to serve, compromise here, a compromise there.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: The temperature rises gradually and the soul subtly drifts away.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: And eventually a disciple wonders how they got so far from where they once were.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: And today we live in a historically unique time where comfort is everywhere.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: We have modern comforts and conveniences that were only not even dreamt about fifty years ago.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: It is one of the most comfortable periods in human history.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: Instant entertainment, instant communication, instant food, instant answers, instant gratification.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yet comfort often weakens spiritual muscles.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: Faith grows through stretching, testimonies grow through sacrifice, character grows through resistance.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: The gym teaches the same principle.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: Muscles don't grow through comfort.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, every time I work out, it hurts.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: But if I want to be in my 80s and still walking and running and playing with my grandkids and great-grandkids, then I need to do the resistance training.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: Muscles grow through challenge.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: Likewise, spiritual strength develops through effort.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: President Russell M.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: Nelson has repeatedly invited us to become stronger disciples because the days ahead will require greater spiritual capacity.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: The future belongs to saints who have learned how to receive revelation, exercise faith, and remain spiritually awake.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: The Savior Himself never chose comfort.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: No one had greater reason to seek comfort.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: His entire ministry was marked by sacrifice.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: He walked among the poor.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's the path of transformation.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: Transformation always requires sacrifice.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: The Savior taught, Whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but who whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: He's talking about transforming.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: That's in Matthew 16, 25.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: The paradox of discipleship is that comfort rarely produces growth.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: Consecration does.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: Sacrifice does.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've noticed that you're beginning to have this spiritual apathy, what can you do about it?
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: Well, first you can do something difficult spiritually.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: Fast with a purpose.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: Study deeply.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: Serve anonymously.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: Attend the temple more often.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: Seek revelation on the meaningful question.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: Growth returns when effort returns.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Basically, where your focus is, that's where your heart and your mind go.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: Second, as I've done multiple episodes about this, immediately act on promptings.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: Prompt obedience increases your spiritual sensitivity and you will receive more promptings.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: When you delay it, your capacity to receive weakens.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: The quickest way to hear more promptings is to follow the ones that you've already received.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Three, you've made covenants.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: Remember them.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: They create purpose.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: Purpose destroys complacency.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: Four, serve someone.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: Apathy turns us inward.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: Service turns us outward.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: Do something for someone else.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: A sincere act of service helps to reignite your spiritual life.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: Pray.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: Pray with meaning.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: Pray with spirit.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: Pray for spiritual hunger.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: Ask Heavenly Father to help you to want Him more.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the first miracle is not receiving an answer, it's receiving a greater desire.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, one of Satan's greatest victories is not making good people evil, it's making them indifferent, casual, comfortable, distracted, asleep.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: The Savior is calling for disciples who are awake, who seek Him, who listen, and who act, who refuse to drift.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: Disciples who remember that the gospel was never intended to simply make us comfortable.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: It was intended to make us holy.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: As you go through this week, ask yourself, where have I become comfortable?
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: Where have I become casual with sacred things?
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: What prompting have I delayed?
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: And what is one step I can take today to reignite spiritual fire?
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: Disciples choose Christ daily, deliberately, with all their heart.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: They don't kick back and wait for Christ to come to them.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining me on Todd Talk Spirit by Design.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, your spirit was designed for more than comfort.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: It was designed for discipleship.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: And you can and will grow when you take the first step forward.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: That is the hardest step, but it's totally worth it.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: As always, thank you for listening.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: Share with a friend, leave a five star review, and have a blessed day.